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As a faculty member at a top 20 medical school ( I also coordinate our 4th yr student elective in our specialty), I would highly discourage anyone doing an "audition" elective in any specialty. If your performance is substandard(I have seen MANY students who were) and you believe that you can overcome academic weakness by "dazzling" everyone by showing up, or if you appear to be overly impressed with yourself(even if you are academically strong) that will also be apparent to everyone and can only hurt your chances of matching at your dream program.
The 4th yr of medical school should never be squandered to get "vaycay" time. It should be used to strengthen and build upon skills learned in the 3rd year. Too often, I see students who are permitted to do as many as 3 electives in the same specialty,usually as away (audition) rotations, when they should be taking those rotations in other specialties that will enhance their skills when they embark on their intern year.
Regardless of the specialty selected, all 4th yr students should do a month of emergency medicine and a month of ICU work,even if the school does not require it.
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